Courtney CaniaNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Something Wild explores the features of our local landscapes, from birds to trees to stone walls, and explains some of the behavior and science behind what we see and hear in our backyards.NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Something WildFri, 09 Dec 2016 15:31:32 +0000Something Wildhttp://nhpr.org
Chris Martin, Dave Anderson As we hunker down for the winter weather, we’re frequently too preoccupied with what is in our front yards that we tend not to notice what isn’t there. The snow and ice have muscled out the grass, and the chilly sounds of the north wind have blown away the dawn chorus that woke us this summer. And short of finding a postcard in your mailbox from a warm exotic location, signed by your friendly neighborhood phoebe , you probably haven’t thought much about the birds that flitted through your yard just months ago.Something Wild: Where Have All the Birds Gone?http://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-where-have-all-birds-gone-0
101648 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 09 Dec 2016 13:40:00 +0000Something Wild: Where Have All the Birds Gone?Dave Anderson, Chris Martin Here at Something Wild, we’ve been thinking a lot about winter and the different strategies animals use to get through these cold, harsh months. There are quite a few techniques to survive winter if you don’t live in a toasty house with central heating or a roaring wood stove. The top 5 are: Don’t live here: Lots of animals live in the Northeast but many more stay away because of the harsh climate. Die in autumn: Some animals' life cycles are tied to the seasons and for those creatures not equipped to handle cold winters, their cycles end in autumn. Leave before the snow flies: Many birds do this of course, they head south for the winter before it gets too cold and their food sources freeze up. Stay: This one is a two-part technique. If an animal stays they’ll either need to remain highly active to keep warm and ensure a ready food supply... Or they need to slow down. Slowing down is our focus today. Hibernation is what we often think of when it comes to surviving winter, but there isSomething Wild: What is Torpor? (And Other Techniques For Surviving Winter)http://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-what-torpor-and-other-techniques-surviving-winter-1
101292 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 02 Dec 2016 13:40:00 +0000Something Wild: What is Torpor? (And Other Techniques For Surviving Winter)Dave Anderson, Chris Martin We’ve been hearing a lot about porcupines this year. They seem to be everywhere! It’s positively a plague of porcupines! So why are there so many? Biologists don’t have an official answer, but Dave Anderson has a hypothesis involving coyotes and fisher cats. The porcupine’s only real predator is the fisher. It takes a tough critter to eat a porcupine. Anecdotally, trackers and hunters are reporting that fisher numbers appear to be down this year, so it makes sense that porcupine numbers are up. There are a lot of coyotes and that means they’re eating a lot. Coyotes are having an impact on prey species like snowshoe hare and ruffed grouse. There is so much competition for medium sized animals it’s no wonder the fisher population seems to be lower. However, coyotes don’t go for porcupine, so while they’re eating everything else our prickly friends remain untouched. In fact, a porcupine could saunter right past a coyote without fear. The coyote instinctively knows to leave them alone – aSomething Wild: Porcupines Aren't As Prickly As You Thoughthttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-porcupines-arent-prickly-you-thought-0
100946 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 25 Nov 2016 13:40:00 +0000Something Wild: Porcupines Aren't As Prickly As You ThoughtDave Anderson, Chris Martin Picture yourself in the grocery store. You’ve got an organized list in your hand and you’re looking for the things on that list. And as you go down the aisles you’re whizzing by dozens, maybe hundreds, of things on the shelves until your eye picks out that one jar of peanut butter that you have on your list. It’s an efficiency technique that helps you find what you’re looking for.Something Wild: When Green Is 'Invisible'http://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-when-green-invisible
100670 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 18 Nov 2016 13:41:00 +0000Something Wild: When Green Is 'Invisible'Chris Martin With winter weather on the way, NHPR's Chris Martin sat down to talk to meteorologist Tony Vazzano, who specializes in mountain weather and snow. His company, North Winds Weather, provides specialized weather reports to ski areas across northern New England.Something Wild: Winter Weather Wizard, Tony Vazzanohttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-winter-weather-wizard-tony-vazzano-0
100325 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 11 Nov 2016 13:40:00 +0000Something Wild: Winter Weather Wizard, Tony VazzanoChris Martin, Dave Anderson A common theme on Something Wild is breeding. (Which is why we always sip our tea with our pinkies extended.) Seriously, though, we talk about the how, when, where because there are a lot of different reproductive strategies that have evolved in nature. Today we take a closer look at two such strategies: semelparity and iteroparity.Something Wild: It's All in the Breedinghttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-its-all-breeding
99959 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 04 Nov 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: It's All in the BreedingDave Anderson As fall comes to a close, winter imminent, there is a quiet that sweeps across New Hampshire. We celebrate the changing of the leaves but once they’ve fallen from the trees there’s really not much to look at before snowfall, right? Of course not! There’s always something waiting to be discovered in your back yard and this time of year is no exception. Head outside and into the woods. The bare trees leave exposed that which was obscured earlier in the year. From stone walls to flora that may have gone unnoticed in the thick of summer. It might be a cool hike but be thankful for the lack of humidity and mosquitoes! You might hear some familiar voices floating in the air. November is a great time to catch the year round residents. Migratory birds have taken off for the season and songbirds have ceased their territorial chanting. The sound of November is blue jay, chickadee, and goldfinch. They’ve been around all year, but earlier their voices were part of a much grander chorus. It’sSomething Wild: What Discoveries Await When Those Leaves Finally Fall?http://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-what-discoveries-await-when-those-leaves-finally-fall-0
99459 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 28 Oct 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: What Discoveries Await When Those Leaves Finally Fall?Andrew ParrellaRecently the Something Wild team went for a hike. One thing to bear in mind when walking with knowledgeable biologists like Chris and Dave, is that hikes take longer than they might if you were walking on your own.Something Wild: West End Farm Trailhttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-west-end-farm-trail
99268 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 21 Oct 2016 12:41:11 +0000Something Wild: West End Farm TrailChris Martin Fall is a busy time for Kristine Rines's department, the moose are in rut (mating) and hunting season is open. She works for NH Fish and Game as the state’s first ever Moose Biologist. She received the distinguished “Moose Biologist of the Year” from her peers at the North American Moose Conference in 2006. Rines has announced her plans to retire after three decades on the job and sat down with Something Wild to reflect on her time studying the state’s moose.Something Wild: A Word with NH's Moose Biologisthttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-word-nhs-moose-biologist
98849 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 14 Oct 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: A Word with NH's Moose BiologistDave Anderson Black bears are as much a part of New Hampshire as fall foliage and stone walls, nevertheless they are a misunderstood species. To better understand the species, we wanted to talk to a bear, the closest thing we could get was Ben Kilham. And that’s pretty close, which is evident when you meet him. He’s over six-feet tall and moves with a slow ambling gait. His ursine tendencies aren’t surprising when you consider Kilham’s been studying and living with black bears for nearly 25 years.Something Wild: Black Bears 101 with Ben Kilhamhttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-black-bears-101-ben-kilham-0
98411 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 07 Oct 2016 12:45:37 +0000Something Wild: Black Bears 101 with Ben KilhamDave Anderson, Chris Martin Bats in New Hampshire have been struggling with White Nose Syndrome for the past few years. So we sat down with Wildlife Biologist Emily Preston from NH Fish and Game and Endangered Species Biologist Susi von Oettingen from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to find out how they’ve been faring recently. Obviously, bats are really important in our eco-system because they are the greatest predator of nighttime insects. As von Oettingen explained, NH hosts eight species of bats (among them: Little brown bat, Long-eared bat, Tri-colored bat, Small-footed bat, Big-brown bat), so that adds up to a lot of insects consumed. Bats start migrating at different times throughout the fall. In most cases, the females migrate shortly after mating, while the males stick around a little longer. But migration patterns also vary among and within species. Some are long-distance migrants which will fly as far south as the southern U.S., and some species are short-distance migrants, preferring to spend the coldSomething Wild: What's Going On with Bats and White Nose Syndrome?http://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-whats-going-bats-and-white-nose-syndrome-0
96758 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 30 Sep 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: What's Going On with Bats and White Nose Syndrome?Dave Anderson, Chris Martin There’s been a lot of talk about Gypsy moths this year, especially in southern New England, where trees in some areas have been hit pretty hard by this voracious caterpillar. And it has sparked a lot of discussion about how people might help reduce the damage, but it’s worth remembering that the trees these caterpillars feed on are not entirely helpless.Something Wild: How Trees Fight Backhttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-how-trees-fight-back
97962 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 23 Sep 2016 16:57:17 +0000Something Wild: How Trees Fight BackChris Martin, Dave Anderson November is a great time to spot golden eagles. They are a rare sight in New Hampshire, but they do pass through the state on their annual migration. Right now they’re on their way south to winter in the central Appalachians. They’ll pass back through the state in March on their way to Labrador and northern Quebec to nest. Golden eagles are sometimes confused with young bald eagles, but there are differences. When bald eagles are in flight, they hold their wings flat like a plank, but golden eagle wings have a slight ‘V’ shape. Goldens don’t stick around the granite state for too long these days, but they did nest in New Hampshire once upon a time. The last successful golden eagle nest happened more than fifty years ago. There is lasting evidence of the golden eagle’s presence here, Eagle Cliff in Franconia Notch is named for the goldens that made their home there in the late 1800s. So, what happened to them? It has a lot to do with the changing landscape in New Hampshire. In the 1800sSomething Wild: Are Golden Eagles Returning to the State?http://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-are-golden-eagles-returning-state
96757 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 16 Sep 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: Are Golden Eagles Returning to the State?Chris Martin The iconic call of the loon is one you’ll hear on ponds and lakes throughout the state. We’re checked in with John Cooley, Senior Biologist with the Loon Preservation Committee to learn a bit about the bird and the state of its welfare. The iconic call of the loon is one you’ll hear on ponds and lakes throughout the state. We’re checked in with John Cooley, Senior Biologist with the Loon Preservation Committee to learn a bit about the bird and the state of its welfare. First off we know there just shy of 300 pairs of loons in New Hampshire, about 200 of those pairs built a nest. And Cooley says they’re all over the state, “from Little Island Pond in Pelham near the Massachusetts border to Third Connecticut Lake just miles from Canada.” Bodies of water are his reference points because that’s where loons are happiest. In fact, that’s almost the only place they can operate with any efficiency. Loons are a little ungainly when taking off and landing, or even just trying to get around onSomething Wild: Loon Facts and Fatehttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-loon-facts-and-fate
97216 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 09 Sep 2016 12:59:14 +0000Something Wild: Loon Facts and FateDave Anderson, Chris Martin You may be familiar with hoarders (not the TV show, but same idea). In nature, a hoarder will hide food in one place. Everything it gathers will be stored in a single tree or den. But for some animals one food cache isn't enough. We call them scatter hoarders. A "scatter hoarder" hides food in a bunch of different places within its territory. The gray squirrel is a classic example, gathering acorns and burying them in trees or in the ground. Not all squirrels are hoarders. Red squirrels are "larder hoarders." If you've ever been walking through the woods and a red squirrel starts screaming at you, it's defending its one and only stash. The same goes for chipmunks and white-footed mice. The gray squirrel isn't alone in the practice of scatter hoarding. Blue jays and gray jays will spend the summer accosting hikers, filling itself with as much granola or fruit as it can. They bring their bounty back into the forest and glue the food into crevices of the trees with its saliva. I know, whoSomething Wild: How Scatter Hoarders Prepare for Winterhttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-how-scatter-hoarders-prepare-winter
96755 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 02 Sep 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: How Scatter Hoarders Prepare for WinterDave Anderson We don't often think of trees when we speak of "harvest." Corn is harvested; apples, tomatoes, squash are the fruits of the annual autumnal rite which is the province of our farmers. Maybe it's because those plants are harvested at the end of their lifespan that we don't lament the moment they are cut down. We're much more precious with our trees. Maybe because we associate de-forestation with developments of housing sub-divisions, or banal strip malls with all the character and scenic beauty of sound baffles on the sides of our highways. But, as a society we consume forest products as much as we do farm products. And sometimes when a tree comes down it's not to make room for another human edifice, but another tree. Dave takes us to a site in Stoddard, NH where that is the precise plan: taking down trees to plant the next forest. We started at the landing at the Crider and Rumrill forest where the logs are being piled for a tractor trailer to haul them away to mill and market. There'sSomething Wild: A Timber Harvesthttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-timber-harvest
96527 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 26 Aug 2016 14:12:47 +0000Something Wild: A Timber HarvestChris Martin, Dave Anderson Something Wild fan, Michael Carrier, wrote in recently, he said “If possible could you do a program about identifying some of the more common sounds you hear at dusk or night in New Hampshire.” Yeah, we can do that. So a typical evening scene in Anytown, New Hampshire is a symphony of sound. A screen door slams in the distance…a jake brake startles the neighbor’s dog…the weekend warrior fires up her motorcycle… But as the evening settles in and human sounds fade away we can better hear the natural world. But even the rustling of our deciduous trees, barred owls, coyotes trying to locate their pack, a whippoorwill trying to locate a mate, and a red fox is staking out his territory tend to drown out a more subtle instrument in the orchestra. If ever there was a sound that signifies August, it’s the quiet song of the crickets. Nathaniel Hawthorne described it as “audible stillness,” writing, “if moonlight could be heard, it would sound just like that.” That especially appropriate becauseSomething Wild: Crickets Herald the Autumnhttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-crickets-herald-autumn
96126 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 19 Aug 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: Crickets Herald the AutumnDave Anderson, Chris Martin How do you determine the age of a tree? Just count the rings, of course! One ring equals one year of growth. If you’ve ever stumbled upon a tree stump you may have even done it yourself. But if you’re counting rings on a stump, the life of that tree is over. So how do you count those rings while the tree is alive? Experts use a special tool called an “increment borer”. An increment borer is a tool used to extract a small core from a tree, allowing a dendrochronologist to count its rings without having to cut it down. This T-shaped device has been used for centuries. The cross of the T is the handle, which is connected to a long, hollow tube that has a drill on the end. Line up the drill with the trunk of the tree and start twisting like a screwdriver. The core is captured in that hollow tube, resulting in a long straw of wood to be examined. While its design is simple, an increment borer requires precision in order to get a good core sample. On the inside of a tree there are a wholeSomething Wild: Learning from a Tree Corehttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-learning-tree-core
95353 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 12 Aug 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: Learning from a Tree CoreChris Martin, Dave Anderson In this part of the country the Corvid family includes blue jays, gray jays, crows, and ravens. And ravens – Corvus corax – are the smartest of this intelligent family, actually their brain to body ratio is on par with whales and the great apes. Ravens are pretty common in New Hampshire, probably more common than you think since at first glance they look a lot like crows. But there are some key differences between these two big black birds. First, ravens are bigger, their wingspan is almost four-feet across, as big as some of the hawks we have in New Hampshire. And while crow tail feathers are squared off, ravens are diamond-shaped. The beak is another distinctive trait with the raven’s much larger respective to the size of its head than is the crow’s. Aurally, their calls are also pretty different. Crows have of a “caw,” while ravens emit a more guttural “croak.” Of course, all corvids are mimics, and ravens have been known to master a multitude of different sounds. One YouTube clipSomething Wild: Ravens are Intelligent Opportunistshttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-ravens-are-intelligent-opportunists
95058 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 29 Jul 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: Ravens are Intelligent OpportunistsDave Anderson, Chris Martin It all started with a black squirrel. These rare creatures aren't a separate species - they're your garden variety gray squirrel, but a genetic mutation has given them a black fur coat. That got Dave wondering if a black squirrel has any advantages its fairer forebears don't (other than being incredibly popular among nature photographers). Wondering turned to arguing.Something Wild: The Difference Between Adaptation and Anomalyhttp://nhpr.org/post/something-wild-difference-between-adaptation-and-anomaly-0
94331 as http://nhpr.orgFri, 22 Jul 2016 12:40:00 +0000Something Wild: The Difference Between Adaptation and Anomaly